Florida Gators 2016 Season Early Preview: Arkansas
Over the past couple of weeks, Inside the Gators has taken an early look at the Florida Gators football team’s opponents throughout the 2016 regular season. Today, we preview Arkansas.
Florida Gators at Arkansas Razorbacks
D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark.
Nov. 5, 2016, time TBA
Arkansas head coach: Bret Bielema (4th season)
Coordinators: Dan Enos (offensive coordinator, 2nd season), Robb Smith (defensive coordinator, 3rd season)
Arkansas 2015 record – 8-5 (5-3 SEC): After going a combined 2-14 in SEC play during Bielema's first two seasons as head coach, the Razorbacks took an overall step in the right direction in 2015. The year began on a sour note with early losses to Toledo, Texas Tech and Texas A&M within the first month of the season, but Arkansas managed to win six of its final seven contests including notable victories over Ole Miss and LSU.
2015 offensive stats: 29th nationally in total offense (465.5 YPG), 27th in scoring offense (35.9 PPG), 32nd in passing offense (268.2 YPG), 34th in rushing offense (197.3 YPG)
2015 defensive stats: 58th nationally in total defense (391.6 YPG), 68th in scoring defense (27.4 PPG), 117th in passing defense (275.2 YPG), 12th in rushing defense (116.5 YPG)
Returning leading passer – QB Austin Allen (1-of-3 passing for 35 yards, TD): Last year's starter in Brandon Allen (3,440 yards, 30 TD, 8 INT on 65.9% passing) has graduated following a strong senior campaign, and now his younger brother, a redshirt junior and former three-star recruit in the 2013 class, is set to take the reins at quarterback.
Returning leading rusher – RB Kody Walker (394 yards, 6 TD on 90 carries): The Razorbacks' top rusher from a year ago in Alex Collins (1,577 yards, 20 TD on 271 carries) is gone, but they bring back Walker, a sixth-year senior, as well as Rawleigh Williams, who rushed for 254 yards and a touchdown on 56 carries in 2015. Devwah Whaley, a four-star signee from the 2016 class, could also make it competitive in the backfield during fall training camp.
Returning leading receiver – WR Drew Morgan (843 yards, 10 TD on 63 catches): The Razorbacks do lose standout tight end Hunter Henry (739 yards, 3 TD on 51 catches in 2015) but return four of their five top receiving options from a year ago, including wideouts Morgan and Dominique Reed, slot receiver Jared Cornelius and tight end Jeremy Sprinkle. Keon Hatcher and Cody Hollister, who each missed the majority of 2015 with their respective foot injuries, are both now expected to factor into the mix.
Returning leading tackler – LB Brooks Ellis (102 tackles, 8 TFL): Arkansas returns an of array of valuable contributors along its defensive line and at linebacker, including defensive tackles Taiwan Johnson and Jeremiah Ledbetter, defensive ends Deatrich Wise and Tevin Beanum, and linebackers Ellis and Dre Greenlaw.
Returning sacks leader – DE Deatrich Wise (8 sacks, 10.5 TFL): Arkansas was tied for 11th in the conference last year with 20 sacks, but Wise accounted for nearly half of those. He, Ledbetter and Beanum (the latter two with two sacks each in 2015) all return.
Returning leader in interceptions – CB D.J. Dean (2 picks): The Razorbacks were at the bottom of the SEC in passing defense last year but do return many of their pieces in the secondary from a year ago, including starting corners Dean, Jared Collins, nickelback Henre' Toliver and safety Josh Liddell.
FIVE QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY ANDREW HUTCHINSON OF WHOLEHOGSPORTS.COM
What was the biggest thing about this Arkansas team that you drew from watching spring practices and its spring game?
AH: After watching spring practice and the spring game, I still see several holes Arkansas needs to fill. While most fans and national media were focused on the quarterback "battle," I came away thinking that Arkansas has some work to do on the offensive line. I'll get into the specifics in the following questions, but it seemed like the Razorbacks used a different starting five on the O-line each week of practice. Some of the younger guys looked good one week, but struggled the next. It's still a work in progress. The running back position was another concern. With one back wearing a no-contact jersey and another getting hurt in the middle of the spring, Arkansas was down to a walk-on running back - Denzell Evans - playing with the first team in full-contact drills (and he is no longer with the team, as he took advantage of the graduate transfer rule to transfer to Kansas). Both of these issues have the potential to be fixed with the arrival of several 2016 signees.
And that quarterback "battle"? It wasn't much of a competition. Austin Allen was clearly the No. 1 quarterback. I don't expect him to have a 2016 Brandon Allen-type year, but he'll benefit from a talented wide receiving corps. Ricky Town was the sexy name on sports talk shows and even in national media columns, but the Southern Cal transfer is still a redshirt freshman and doesn't have a complete grasp on the playbook. He is actually fourth on the QB depth chart.
The defense isn't quite to its 2014 level (when it ranked 15th in scoring defense in the country), but it does look much improved from last year (75th in the country). It could be a by-product of the offensive line struggles, but the Razorbacks' defensive linemen were in the backfield all spring.
What are the three biggest storylines to follow this season?
AH: The biggest national storyline is obviously Austin Allen replacing his brother, Brandon, at quarterback. Austin has some game experience, but not a lot. He has, however, had plenty of time to learn the system as the backup. Also, the last time Brandon graduated and was replaced by his younger brother, Austin led Fayetteville High School to back-to-back state championships.
Another storyline will be who becomes the Razorbacks' main running back, as they'll be without Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams. Kody Walker, a sixth-year senior, broke his foot during the spring. Bret Bielema says he thinks Walker can run for 1,000 yards, but he's had an injury-filled career and has only 644 career yards. Rawleigh Williams III showed promise as a true freshman before suffering a scary neck injury during the Auburn game last year. He's been fully cleared by doctors, but the coaching staff has been extra cautious with his return, making him wear a green no-contact uniform during the spring. The guy most Arkansas fans are looking forward to seeing is Devwah Whaley, a highly-touted prospect from Texas. If Bielema is going to have another 1,000-yard rusher, as he has in each of his 10 seasons as a head coach, one of those three players will have to step up.
Finally, can Arkansas' secondary be any better in 2016? The Razorbacks' passing defense was last in the SEC and near the bottom in the country last year. Defensive backs coach Clay Jennings left for the same position at Texas and Bielema replaced him with former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads. He will be handed the keys to a very experienced group, led by fifth-year senior Jared Collins and senior D.J. Dean. Based on that fact and interviews with the secondary, I believe they'll take a step forward under Rhoads, but we won't know for sure until the season starts.
What are Arkansas’ greatest strengths?
AH: Arkansas' biggest strength is its wide receiving corps. That sentence is pretty incredible because last year, I would have said that was one of Arkansas' weaknesses. Instead, Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed, Jared Cornelius and Cody Hollister emerged as a really dynamic group. Throw in fifth-year Keon Hatcher, who was expected to be the Razorbacks' top receiver last year before suffering a season-ending injury, and the group is one of the best in the SEC. You should also include tight end Jeremy Sprinkle in that group because he proved himself as a terrific pass-catcher despite playing behind John Mackey Award winner Hunter Henry.
Defensive line should be an area of strength for Arkansas, as well. On WholeHogSports.com, we polled eight beat reporters (including myself), asking them who they thought were the top 10 Razorbacks. No. 1 and No. 2 on that list were defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter, respectively. Wise, a fifth-year senior, racked up seven sacks in Arkansas' final four regular-season games. Ledbetter is a junior-college transfer in his second season with the Razorbacks and will be huge as a run-stopper in the middle of Arkansas' defensive line. There should also be plenty of depth, too, highlighted by five-star true freshman McTelvin Agim.
What are the Razorbacks’ greatest weaknesses?
AH: From what I've seen so far, Arkansas' offensive line will take a step back this year. The Razorbacks will have to replace a pair of seniors - center Mitch Smothers and left guard Sebastian Tretola - as well as a junior who declared for the draft, left tackle Denver Kirkland. The two returning linemen - Dan Skipper and Frank Ragnow - have a lot of experience and talent, but there are still plenty of question marks at the other three slots. Two 2016 signees - freshman Jake Heinrich and JUCO transfer Paul Ramirez - could help when they get to campus.
I'd almost say running back is an area of weakness for Arkansas, as I touched on earlier, but Bielema usually finds a productive guy at that position. Instead, I'll focus on the linebackers. While the Razorbacks have quality players at the top - Brooks Ellis and Dre Greenlaw are in that top 10 list above - depth remains an issue. If one of those guys goes down, Arkansas would be forced to use some unknown commodities. Someone who should help is Florida native Randy Ramsey, who showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman in 2014, was kicked off the team last summer, but has returned as a walk-on.
What is your outlook for the 2016 season for Arkansas?
AH: I've seen Vegas odds-makers put Arkansas' over/under win total at 7.5 and I think that's about right. I'm not a betting man, but if I had to pick one way or the other, I'd probably go with the under at this point. I still think there are too many question marks along the offensive line and on the defensive side for me to say the Razorbacks will win more games than last season, especially when you throw in the fact that they're playing TCU instead of Texas Tech as their big non-conference opponent.
You can follow Andrew Hutchinson on Twitter @NWAHutch.
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COMPLETED EARLY OPPONENT PREVIEWS:
Oct. 29 vs. Georgia (neutral site)
UP NEXT:
Nov. 12 vs. South Carolina
Nov. 19 vs. Presbyterian
Nov. 26 at Florida State
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